Process for sprouting grain



N. A. RENSTROM, DECD.

E. A. RENSTHOM, wmmsrnuon.

PROCESS FOR SPHOUTING GHMN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 9. new.

1 ,3 96,235. Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

Elluvcmtoz.

NlLs A. RENS'TROMa QRM -M c as:

UNITED STAT EsP ENT orricef Mrs A. RENSTROM, or OMAHA, NEBRASKA; EROS A. iznnsrnom inmrmswaa roapr SAID NILS A. RENS'I'ROM, DEeEAsEn.

. State of Nebraska,

new and useful Improvements in Processes for Sprouting Grain,- of which the follow-' li g is a specification.

Nil

like. by means of a simple,

sel fcontained apparatus, operable inf "either cold or hot seasons, capable of". H producing a daily supply or" ration of the (sprouted grain, when used .in accordance such as oats, for .use

My invention is my sprouting method.

"In the accompanying drawings Figure l 'fi'sa plan view .i men e wn a out my invention; and'Fig. 2 is a vertical ijgegfminationand subsequent development of "a series of charges orbatches of graimea ch .ub i "bri l the materialin the more advanced sta'es' jthe material in the] i .is formed by inner and outer upwardly seetion al view of acomplete apparatus as constructed and arranged in accordance with m" Invention.

y method or processot sprouting grain ischaracterized by carrying on. siinnlta-j .neoesly Wi hin at-metered inbloShrthe in a f e j s e iaw h h -T eheat developed by the metabolism of ommuiiicated' to I earlier stages of growth thereby s'timiil ating the latter m'ate rial in the advance '46 preventing Overheating ofthe.

The sprouting process may be more read "ily understood by referring to the construcis provided. having spaced inner and outer,

walls 3 and 4 with heat-insulating packing material 5 between them, the side-portions of the receptacle being trunco-conical in.

form. and the inner bottom-portion 6 being slightly inclined toward a central draintube 7 which is extended through the pack Specification of Letters Patent.

have invented certain taper-in invention relates to grain sprouting, and it is the object thereof to provide a method especially-adapted for use in pref paring sprouted grain, N

as green feed for poultry, pet stock and the preferably carried out inexpensive, compact re eptacle when desired. I

is. sn clifthat their upper edges are slightly belowthe inner margin the beveled iupper ed ge ear the receptacle, or prop orthe partitioned or com are; preferably used" in carry-1 stages, and effect I ing a substantial equalization of te er [suitableheat lnsulatingpack ngmaterial15, jtures throughoutthe several charges or I batches of the series. fo with th bvgh d PROCESS FOR SPRQUTINZG GRAIN;

Patented Nov; 8, 1921.

Application filed NovemberiB, 1917. Serial No. 291.395..

ing-space andthe outer bottom-portion fi. Theupper edgefl of the receptacle isbevorinclined inwardly, and suitable hanes 10 are secured n opposite sides of the outer; wall 4, as shown. 5A]; the center, pf the receptacle there is a tubular member 11, slightly from its lower to its per en and its-sides being formed with inwardly extending corrugations forming channelsf olr receiv ng the nner edges of a series off vertical artition-plates 12 which extend outradialy therefrom to th wall 31, as shown in Fig. l. The lower edges of tie loos y H so that water pass freely beneath them, and so that the'y may be lifted: out of the he, h igh ft plates 12 ment such that the compartment Glies between C. andiD, the compartment A lying between D and E. B lying between E and F,

and C lying, between and G.

A cover for thecompartmented receptacle dished members 13 and 14 having between them a uniform packing-space filled with beingshaped to conup er edge 9 of the tub or lower portion 0 vthe receptacle. Across the bottom of the dished or concave body of the cover there is secured a head 16, which forms, between the same and the inner member 13, a water-chamber 17. The outer portion of the head 16 is inclined or sloped downwardly and the central portion thereof slopes upwardlyto a screwthreaded filllngopening which is normally closed by a plug or stopper l8. Arranged in a circle at the lowermost portion of the head 16 there is a series. of small openings 19, preferably one the edges of said cover F and G, there plates 12 and oiithe member 1 1 rest e up on the inclined -bottom-,p1ece' 6,

-18 i is provided with for each of the several compartments A G of the tub or main receptacle. The stopper to a point near the top of the water-chamber 17, said tube being provided. at its. u per grid with a valve-seat 21 adapted for engage- Ynent with a tapering stem or needle-valve 22. The latter is screwed into the lower end of the tube, being provided at its lower end with a head, and having on the threaded portion a locknut 23 for retaining the stem in adjusted positions. Small openings in the side of the tube beneath the stopper admit air to the space around the valve-stem, so

that the air may pass up through the seat 21 when the valve is not in closed position.

On the sides of the cover there are suitable handles 24: for convenience in lifting the same. For filling; the Watenchamber 17. the cover is inverted and the stopper 18 removed, said stopper being replaced after the chamber is filled and before the cover is replaced in its normal position. When the cover is in place upon the receptacle the water from the chamber 17 drips through the openings 19 at a rate determined by the size of the air inlet to the chamber through the valve-seat 21, and said inlet is so regulated by the needle-valve that the Water will escape from the chamber at the desired rate.

-Preferably a sheet -or layer 25 of loosely woven fabric such as burlap, is placed over the top of the receptacle beneath the cover, so as to rest upon theupper edges of the partition-plates 12. for the drain-tube 7, said stopper having a wire handle 27 with a hook at its upper end,

so that the same when not in use maybe hung upon the upper edge of the center member 11, as shown in Fig. 2.

In the sproutin of grain suchas oats, for use as green feed or poultry and the like, it

is preferable that the dry grain be first soaked in water for-a period of 8150 12 hours,

the water thendrained off so .as to leave only that which adheres to the material, and the grain then rcmoistened two or three times in each twentyfour hours during the period of the sprouting, which requires from live to seven days under proper temperature conditions. After such a time the grain will be thoroughly sprouted,and will have increased.

in weight and bulk to about threetimes that of the dry grain. The germination and and growth of thesprouts involves the production of a considerable amount ofheat, which is greatest in the later stages of the process and least at the beginning. lnsulii cicnt heat retards the germination, and excessive heat causes rotting, so that both extremes of temperature must be avoided in order to successfully carry out the sprouting process.

in the use of the described apparatus, at

A stopper 26 is provided,

ter once starting the same, each of the several compartments AG contains one of a I a tube which extendsgqseries of charges or batches of thegra in, through the same and upwardly therefrom each in a different stage of the sprouting process. In one compartment, as A, there is pla'ced' a bucket 28 or the like in which a -charge of the dry grain is being soaked in water. After soaking for a suitable time this charge ofthe grain is dumped from the bucket into the bottom of the compartmcnt so that the excess of water may drain therefrom, passing inwardly along the in ,clined bottom-portion (3 to the drain-tube 7. Another charge of the grain is then placed in the bucket. and the latter filled with water. and then placed in the next compartment of the series during the period of soaking. At intervals of eight to twelve hours the contents of the several compartments are remoistened by filling'the water-chamber 17,335 of the cover and replacingthe same upon the receptacle, so that the water escaping from the chamber through the openings 19 will soak through the'fabric cover and be thereby distributed with comparative uQi QO formityover the surface of the material the excess of wlater draining to the center and passing off through the tube 7 The charges are placedsuocessively in the compartments G, F, E, D, C, and A, one of the compait;,,,95 ments preferably being .emptied each day of its charge of sprouted grain, and a fresh charge started therein. It will be noted by the use of the several, compartments iin the order indicated, the charges in themgre advanced stages of growth are intersperse or alternated with the charges in whichfthe ,germination is-oornmencing or which arein the earlier stagesof growth. Thus when a :fresh charge is placed in the compartnjienl' A, it.is between the charges in the compartments E and D, which are in stages of development at which the metabolism prod gee considerable heat. By so intersperstng he successive charges of the series, the tempera :ture of the material throughout the recep tacle is substantially equalized. Owing to the heat-insulating inclosure of the material.tlie temperature thereof may be read ily controlled and maintained at the po rrtgls most favorable to the sprouting of the ln cool and moderately cold weather suflicient warmth is produced by the material itself to maintain the temperature thereof at a proper degree; in extremely cold heather the desired temperature is maintained by heating the water which is placed in the chamber 17 for use in moistening the grain; and in warm or hot seasons overheating of the material is prevented by using cold water for the moistening, the moistening being repeated more often during extremely hot seasons.

hen operated as above described, the apparatus produces a batch or charge Of sprouted grain each day, a daily ration of green poultry and the like.

It may be noted that when the sprouting of a charge of grain is completed, the same forms a fibrous mass which is bound together by the entanglement of roots and sprouts. This fibrous mass of the sprouted grain is readily removed from the compartment owing to the tapering of the same toward the bottom of the receptacle, and also to the fact that the sides and bottom of the compartments are smooth and imperforate, so as to ofier no means of attachment for the roots and sprouts.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of sprouting grain, consisting in juxtaposing a series of charges of grain in difi'enng stages of germination, insulating the same against external temperature changes, periodically moistening the charges, maintaining an interspersed arthereby furnishing feed suitable for rangement of the several charges whereby to facilitate the communication of heat from the more advanced to the less advanced charges, and removing the fully sprouted charges and filling out the series with fresh charges at successive substantially uniform time intervals.

2. The method of producing batches of sprouted grain at successive substantially uniform time intervals, consisting in juxtaposing a series of charges of grain in uniformly different stages of germination, insulating the same against external temperature changes, periodically moistenin the charges, maintaining an intersperse arrangement of the several charges whereby heat produced by metabolism of the more advanced charges may radiate directly to the less advanced charges, removing the successive char as the same become fully sprouted, and replacing the removed charges with fresh charges of ungerminated grain.

N. A. RENSTROM. 

